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Fatwa CenterImitating Anime (cartoon) heroes
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. I have a question which I have been wanting to ask for some time now, but I am embarrassed to ask the local scholars at my mosque and the religious people in my school. I am a 17-year-old male who loves to watch anime (Japanese cartoons), which sometimes contains characters who are heroes, and I like to copy their actions, e.g. the way they fight, and their personalities. For example, if a character is angry, I like to copy it. Now, these characters are sometimes seen committing sins and shirk (polytheism). My fantasies involve fighting like these characters; however, I never think about associating partners (with Allaah) or performing magic like these characters sometimes do. Instead, I like to think that I am a Muslim who can fight like these characters and act like them but without doing shirk like they do. Now, am I committing shirk because of the hadith of imitating the kuffar (disbelievers) even though it is just a cartoon. Just to clarify more, we are all familiar with the hero Batman. If Batman was a person who would commit shirk, but I just want to copy the way Batman fights without associating partners with Allaah, and I want to pretend that I am Batman but without the aspects of shirk of it, is this still considered imitation of the kuffar?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
What you are doing in imitating those characters in the way they fight and the like is not shirk at all.
Shirk is to make an equal to Allaah and dedicate acts of worship, of which it is not permissible to dedicate them except to Allaah, to him. Allaah says (what means): {And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allaah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allaah...} [Quran 2:165].
‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood 
narrated that he asked the Prophet “What is the greatest sin?” The Prophet replied, “It is to make partners with Allaah while He has created you...” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Moreover, this act that you mentioned is not considered the imitation of the non-Muslims that is prohibited. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet said, “I was sent with the sword so that Allaah is worshiped alone without partners, and my provision was placed under the shadow of my spear, and those who defy my order are disgraced and humiliated, and he who imitates a people is one of them.” [Ahmad - Al-Albaani graded it saheeh (sound)]
The imitation that is forbidden is the imitation in matters that are particular to the non-Muslims (i.e. their characteristics); Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen 
said:
“Imitating the non-Muslims is when a person wears the same clothes as them or speaks like them and the like, to an extent that when one sees him, he would say: he is a non-Muslim; but the things that are common between the Muslims and the non-Muslims, then this is not (the forbidden) imitation, such as men now wearing pants; we do not say that this is imitation, because this has become a custom for all. As regards the issue of cars and so forth, then this is not imitation at all.”
We would like to draw your attention that there are Islamic conditions for these games; please refer to them in fataawa 259372, 238003, and 188149.
You mentioned – praise be to Allaah – that you like to think that you are a Muslim; this is good and you should exploit this in forming your Muslim personality on the basis of religion and endeavor in doing what pleases Allaah by using your free time in gaining beneficial knowledge and performing good deeds. For some guidelines on how a Muslim should make good use of his free time, please refer to fatwa 86533.
There is nothing wrong for a person to entertain himself sometimes with what is permissible in order to avoid getting bored. Al-Bayhaqi reported in in Shu'ab Al-Eemaan and Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh that Wahb ibn Munabbih 
said, “Among the words of wisdom of Dawood (David 
) is: A wise person should divide his time into four: a time to address his Lord [such as in prayer, supplication….]; a time to hold himself into account for his deeds; a time when he resorts to his brothers who would sincerely inform him about his shortcomings and faults and advise him in this regard; and a time to entertain and enjoy himself with what is permissible – as this latter time helps him endure the other times and is a way of comforting his heart.”
Allaah knows best.
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